When director Doug Liman’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith hit the box office, no one was surprised that it brought in US $51.1 million, taking first place amongst the movies shown during its opening weekend. The adventure comedy stars the alluring Angelina Jolie and heartthrob Brad Pitt and their on (and off?) screen chemistry may have had a lot to do with it.

In the movie, the stars act as the married couple, Jane and John Smith, whose seemingly mundane lives in the suburbs dissipate quickly when they discover each other’s true occupations – hired assassins – and they commit to killing one another. Some of the action is amusing while some is morbid. But, in each scene, Pitt and Jolie make the most of Simon Kinberg’s thin-skinned plot line and script.

Vince Vaughn provides some good comic relief in his moments as John Smith’s scornful friend, who lives with his mother because she’s the only female he trusts. Similarly, Angela Bassett acts as Jane Smith’s best friend, to whom she complains about her boring marriage. The O.C. star Adam Brody also makes a cameo in the film as Benjamin Diaz, the person the husband and wife pair are both individually assigned to kill and therefore the way in which they discover their parallel lives.

Just as the movie is making it big in the box office, Brad and Angelina’s speculated romance has also made it big in the tabloids. To this, Angelina has said, “It’s crazy that there is any attention put around us considering all the other things that are going on in the world. You understand certain gossip. You understand certain things about films, things like that. But certainly this [story] has been ridiculous as to how much attention it has been paid. But does anybody here focus [on that]? We’re all smart enough to know it shouldn’t be part of our consciousness and we should focus on our lives, our families, our jobs and just try to pretend it’s not there.”

During the press conference, Brad Pitt also had some words about his status and his new bleach blond hair.

“I was just concerned that I wasn’t getting enough publicity,” he says sarcastically. “I wanted to do something to draw more attention to myself.”

For whatever reason, enough attention has been drawn to this film, which premiered at the Fox Theatre in Westwood, Calif. Fans lined the red carpet in black and white “Mr. Smith” and “Mrs. Smith” T-shirts handed out to promote the movie. Both Angelina and Brad separately walked the entire line of fans, signing autographs and chatting with their admirers.